Cracker-jar.



H. 0. WARREN.

GRAOKER JAR.

APPLIOATION IILED JAN. 6, 1910.

Patented June 14 3111mm ton witness To all wiwm it may concern:

man-m c; wAannN, or CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

cnAcKnnma.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 5, 1910. Serial No. 536,471.

Be it known that I, HmAM C. WARREN, a'

' citizen of the United States, residing at Clearfield, inthe county of Olearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have-invented a new and useful Cracker-J ar, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an Improved construction of'cracker jar and the invention aims more specifically to provide. a jar of this, class which will be particularly well adapted for use in cafs and restaurants, the primary object of the invention being to obviate handling of the crackers by customers and the dropping of food into the crackers. Ordinarily, such crackers are contained in an open bowl or .dish. or jar and are removed by hand, but

' mally holding the closure in closed position,

2 is a verti and a. handle or handles carried by the closure and projecting therefrom in such direction that one hand may be conveniently employed in sw' down the closure to open position, while e other hand is held beneath the closure to receive the crackers discharged from the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide upon the closure a novel means for loosening any crackers which may become packed in thecontainer and consequently to insure of proper discharge of crackers from the container.

With the above and other objects in view, the lnvention consists, generally, in the construction and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device embodyin the resent invention. Fig. sectional "view through the upper end'of thejdevice. Fi 3 is a similar view through the lower end ereof.

In the drawing, the device is illustrated as mounted upon a suitable supportlng-stand,

into contact with the crackers except the legs of which are indicated by the numeral 5 and support between them an annular body 6 which is designed to receive the containers for tlie. crackers. The said container comprises a bowl or body 7 which may be cylindrical, globular, or of any other desired form and upon the upper or open end of which is fitted a band-8 to whichv is hinged a lid or cover 9, the said cover being held closed by means of a spring catch 10 engaging frictionally with a' notched keeper 11 upon that side of the band directly opthat when the container is to be filled, this lid is to be swung up uponits hinge and'the crackers are to be poured into the jar after which the lid is swung down to closed position, the catch 10 engaging automatically with its keeper. The body 7 of the container is open at its-lower end as well as at its up- Patented acne is, rare..

' posite the point at which the lid-is hinged to the band. It will be understood of course per end and fitted upon its lower end and ,depending therebeneath is a hopper which is. indicated by the numeral 12 and const1- tutes the bottom of the container. This hopper is of such diameter as to fit within the annular body 6 of the stand for the device and the device is in this mannersupported by the stand in such away as to be adapted for disposal upon a table or counter.

'As heretofore stated, there is providedwithin the said hopper 12 a closure which is to be partly openedto permit ofthe discharge of crackers or other material from the container, and this closure is indicated by the numeral 13, it being hinged-as at 14: in inclined position with its hinged end uppermost within the hopper 12. A spring .16 is secured at its upper end as at l to the wall of the hopper above the hinge 14 and in turn at its lower end to the upper face of the closure 13 in advance, of the hinge and this spring serves to normally yieldably hold the closure 13 in the position shown in the drawings, or in other words in closed position. In order, however, that the closure may be readily swung to open posltion whereby to permit of the dlscharge of crackers or other food from the container, there are provided handles of which there are preferably two, these handles being secured as at 18 to the under face of .the closure 13 at each side thereof and projecting from their portions 18 downwardly to the'lower end of the hopper 12 thence laterally outwardly and thence upwardly beside the opposite sides thereof, as at 19 and at their upper ends laterally at right angles as at 20.

It will be understood from the foregoingthat the handle portions 20 of the handles may be depressed whereby to swing the closure 13 to open position, and inasmuch as these handles are located one at each side of the hopper 12, customers seated upon opposite sides of the jar may use the same with equal facility. It will also be understood that by so locating the handles that they will project laterally from the closure at opposite sides of the hopper portion of the container, either hand may be readily employed in depressing the handles while the other hand is held beneath the hopper to receive the crackers which are in the container; further, that the hand depressing or swinging down the closure will not be in the way of the hand receiving the crackers.

Inasmuch as the crackers may become clogged or packed in the hopper, there is provlded means. for loosening the mass of crackers which means is embodied in an upstanding the upper ace of the closure 13 and rojects upwardly and preferably at an ang e rearwardly therefrom so as to extend u into the hopper 12, it being understo that when the closure is swung down to open position, this finger will swing in a correspending direction and will move through mass of crackers in the container and loosen such mass.

' A tray 22 is preferably disposed beneath the device and between the egs 5 of the stand upon which the container. of the device is supported, this tray being designed to catch broken crackers, crumbs, etc.

It will be observed that to allow for swinging movement ofthe closure 13, the

finger 21 which is secured upon.

same is made sli htly smaller in breadth and length than t e interior dimensions of the hopper 12.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be seen that there is provided a simple andinexpensive cracker jar or container which is particularly well adapted for use in cafs and restaurants and which may be conveniently used by the customers of such establishments. It will also be understood that while the device is designed primarily for use in-containing crackers, it may be e ually as well employed for the purpose 0 containing lumps of sugar or other similar articles of food.

What is claimed is In a device of the class described, a container, a discharge hopper leading from the lower end to the container, a closurehinged within said hopper and ofslightly less diameter than the said ho per, a spring connected to the closure an normally holding the same elevated, and a handle comprising a strip secured to the under side of the closure and projecting downwardly therefrom and thence bent to extend beneath and in engagement with the lower end edge of the hopper, the said strip being thence bent to extend upwardly beslde the hopper and finally bent. to pro ect laterally to afiord a fin r piece, the engagement of the handle with the lower end edge of the hopper serving to limit the upward movement of the said closure.

In testimon that I claim the foregoing as my own, I ave hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HIRAM C. WARREN.

Witnesses:

L. L. BAILEY, G. B. MANN. 

